The throne room remained deathly silent.
Only the crackling of crimson flames echoed through the vast chamber.
Alendro's breathing had become uneven.
His eyes never left the young man seated upon the Black Throne.
"...Erek..."
His voice trembled.
"...What..."
"...what is going on?"
A faint smile appeared on Erek's face.
"Hello..."
"...Big Brother."
"It has been a month."
"...Did you miss your little brother?"
The words were gentle.
Almost affectionate.
Yet every syllable sent chills crawling down Alendro's spine.
Behind him...
The Royal Knights exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them lowered his voice.
"...Prince Erek..."
"...on the Black Throne?"
Another slowly shook his head.
"...Don't tell me..."
"...the Second Prince..."
"...betrayed Frostalia."
Silence.
Then—
"I am not a traitor."
Every knight froze.
Erek slowly rose from the throne.
His crimson eyes calmly looked toward them.
"I stood beside the Dark Beings..."
"...from the moment I was born."
"I simply..."
"...returned home."
Alendro's face twisted with rage.
"...Liar!"
"...TRAITOR!"
"I'll tell Father everything!"
"You..."
"...and every one of these filthy Dark Beings..."
"...will die!"
The smile disappeared from Erek's face.
The temperature inside the throne room seemed to fall.
"So..."
"...you still believe..."
"...you're leaving Darkain alive."
His calm gaze shifted toward Zox.
"I only require..."
"...Alendro."
"The rest..."
"...are yours."
Zox immediately bowed.
"As you command..."
"...My Lord."
The Royal Knights instinctively reached for their swords.
Too late.
Zox vanished.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Only—
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
Several crimson flashes crossed the room.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then...
THUD.
One head rolled across the black floor.
Another followed.
Then another.
The lifeless bodies of Frostalia's Royal Knights collapsed one after another.
Blood slowly spread across the polished stone.
Alendro stood frozen.
His lips parted.
No sound came out.
Fear...
Real fear...
Entered his eyes for the first time.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Erek slowly descended the steps of the Black Throne.
Zox silently held out a sword.
Without looking...
Erek accepted it.
The blade slipped from its sheath.
SHIIIIING...
Its razor-sharp tip dragged across the stone floor.
Screeeeeech...
The sound echoed throughout the throne room.
Every scrape felt like a blade carving into Alendro's mind.
Step...
Step...
Step...
"...Stay away."
Erek continued walking.
"...Erek."
"...Don't come any closer."
Another step.
Alendro stumbled backward.
His legs struck the throne platform.
There was nowhere left to run.
"Erek!"
"Listen to me!"
"I..."
"I'll make you Crown Prince!"
"I'll give you the throne!"
"Wealth!"
"Power!"
"I'll—"
CRACK!
The sword pierced straight through Alendro's thigh.
"...AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
His scream echoed through the palace.
Erek's expression never changed.
Slowly...
He twisted the blade.
CRUNCH...
Bone ground against steel.
Fresh blood poured onto the floor.
Alendro's desperate screams became almost animal-like.
"P-Please..."
"Erek..."
"...I'm your brother..."
The sword slowly rose.
Its crimson blade reflected Alendro's terrified face.
One strike.
That was all it would take.
Erek's eyes remained fixed on him.
"...If killing the future king..."
"...cannot awaken the Darkness..."
"...then my theory was wrong."
He tightened his grip.
The sword began descending—
Drip.
A single drop of blood landed upon the blade.
Erek frowned.
Another drop.
Then another.
Warm liquid ran from his nose.
"...?"
His vision blurred.
The sword slipped slightly from his hand.
"My Lord?"
Zox immediately stepped forward.
Blood slowly flowed from the corners of Erek's eyes.
His breathing became heavy.
"...Impossible..."
He looked at his trembling hands.
"...Nothing..."
"...changed."
A violent pain exploded throughout his body.
COUGH!!
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
It splattered across the black marble floor.
"My Lord!"
The sword fell from Erek's grasp.
CLANG!
He took one unsteady step.
Then another.
His legs finally gave way.
THUD.
His body collapsed onto the cold stone.
The throne room fell silent.
Zox's face turned pale.
"My Lord!"
For the first time...
Panic appeared in the Royal Butler's eyes.
Meanwhile faraway,
Moonlight poured through the towering stained-glass windows of the Temple of Cosmos.
The vast sanctuary remained silent.
Not even the priests dared disturb the Queen.
At the center of the temple...
Resting upon an ancient black stone altar...
Lay a sword.
Its blade was unlike any weapon forged by mortal hands.
Dark crimson veins pulsed beneath obsidian steel as though blood flowed through the metal itself. Ancient runes, too old for any living scholar to decipher, glowed faintly along the length of the blade. The crossguard curved into the shape of two dragon horns embracing a crimson crystal that burned like the eye of a living beast.
Even while resting...
The sword radiated an overwhelming pressure.
The air surrounding it felt unnaturally heavy.
As though the weapon itself rejected the world around it.
Fallmeth.
The sword once wielded by the Demon King.
Queen Seraphine stood quietly before it.
The reflection of the blade danced within her violet eyes.
For several moments...
She simply stared.
Then...
A faint smile appeared upon her lips.
"I never imagined..."
"...that one of your most loyal dog..."
"...would kneel before me, kritos."
Her fingers gently brushed the hilt.
"No..."
"...Erek."
The temple once again fell silent.
Only the crimson crystal embedded within Fallmeth continued to glow.
...
Far to the north...
The borders between the Kingdoms of Sanctoria and Leonhart had become a battlefield.
Smoke rose toward the evening sky.
Broken banners fluttered in the cold wind.
Steel clashed against steel.
The earth shook beneath charging cavalry.
"Advance!"
A Sanctorian commander raised his sword.
"Protect Sir Drakar!"
A thunderous roar answered him.
Before the Leonhart soldiers could reorganize—
BOOOOM!
The ground exploded.
A crimson blur tore through the battlefield.
Drakar.
His white cloak billowed behind him as his armored fist crashed into a mounted knight.
Horse and rider were hurled across the battlefield like leaves caught in a storm.
The surrounding soldiers froze.
"...Monster..."
One of them barely managed to whisper.
Drakar never slowed.
His sword flashed once.
Two spears shattered before they could reach him.
Another enemy charged from behind.
Without turning...
Drakar drove his elbow backward.
The impact launched the soldier from his feet.
Elsewhere...
A brilliant emerald magic circle spread beneath the battlefield.
Shalo smiled.
"Let's make this a little easier."
Roots erupted from the earth.
Massive vines coiled around the legs of Leonhart's charging cavalry.
The horses screamed as they lost their footing.
"Now!"
Sanctoria's knights surged forward.
The trapped enemy lines collapsed.
Drakar reached the center of the battlefield.
His crimson eyes calmly swept across the remaining soldiers.
"...Enough."
The survivors hesitated.
One by one...
They lowered their weapons.
Then...
They fled.
The horns of retreat echoed across the plains.
Victory belonged to Sanctoria.
...
As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon...
Campfires illuminated the victorious army.
Barrels of alcohol were rolled into the center of the camp.
Laughter filled the night.
"To Sir Drakar!"
"Long live Sir Drakar!"
"Long live Sir Drakar!"
Mugs crashed together.
Songs echoed beneath the stars.
Nearby...
Shalo had already surrendered to the celebration.
A mug of alcohol rested in one hand while he attempted an enthusiastic dance that caused the surrounding soldiers to erupt with laughter.
"Sir Shalo!"
"You're terrible!"
"I know!"
Shalo laughed even harder.
Meanwhile...
Several meters away...
Drakar sat alone beside a quiet fire.
His untouched mug rested upon the wooden table.
His crimson eyes never joined the celebration.
Instead...
They silently observed every face.
Every movement.
Every shadow dancing beyond the flames.
Even surrounded by allies...
The former Archdemon General never allowed himself to relax.
His mission...
Had only just begun.
...
Meanwhile,
In an endless white room.
There were no walls.
No sky.
No earth beneath the feet.
Only an infinite sea of light stretching beyond imagination.
Erek slowly opened his eyes.
"...Again?"
His voice echoed endlessly.
Before he could take another step—
A calm voice reached him.
"So..."
"...the birth of a new God..."
"...has finally begun."
Erek slowly turned.
A lone figure stood several meters away.
Long dark-blue hair flowed down to his waist like a river beneath moonlight.
Deep violet eyes watched him with quiet amusement.
His snow-white robes moved without wind, embroidered with countless golden symbols that seemed to shift whenever Erek looked away.
The stranger smiled.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I am..."
"...the Messenger."
"The one who teaches every newborn god..."
"...the Sacred Laws."
Erek stared at him.
"...A god?"
The Messenger chuckled softly.
"No."
"I merely serve them."
Disbelief filled Erek's face.
"...Then..."
"...my Divine Power..."
The Messenger slowly raised one finger.
He gently placed it against his own lips.
"Shhh..."
"I already know your question."
A mysterious smile spread across his face.
"You wish to know..."
"...how your Divine Power awakened."
Silence.
The Messenger slowly began walking around Erek.
"Tell me."
"...Did you kill Alendro?"
Erek frowned.
"...No."
"Then..."
"...why did your power awaken?"
The endless white world became silent.
Erek replayed the moment inside his mind.
Alendro's terrified eyes.
His desperate pleas.
The sword.
The satisfaction he had felt.
Suddenly...
His crimson eyes widened.
The Messenger smiled.
"You understand now."
"It was never Darkness."
"It was never murder."
He stopped directly before Erek.
"It was..."
"...Vengeance."
The word echoed throughout the endless white world.
"The moment you repaid the suffering your brother inflicted upon you..."
"...your soul resonated with the Divine Power of Darkness."
Erek slowly lowered his head.
"...So..."
"...Vengeance..."
"...was the key."
The Messenger nodded.
"Only a fragment."
"You awakened merely the first spark."
"Your mortal body cannot yet withstand the complete authority of a God."
He looked directly into Erek's eyes.
"If you wish to ascend further..."
"...then you must understand..."
"...the Sacred Laws of Divine Inheritance."
"The laws..."
"...that govern every God..."
"...and every Supreme Right."
The endless white world fell silent once more.
A new chapter...
In Erek's destiny...
Had begun.